Will the Broncos regret not keeping Domata Peko?

The Broncos have revamped their roster this offseason. New head coach Vic Fangio is known for his ferocious defenses and is looking to build another elite group here in Denver.

One defender who is not going to be part of this unit is veteran defensive tackle Domata Peko. A 16-game starter for the Broncos in 2018, Peko has received little to no interest on the open market this offseason.

This includes Denver, who decided to let him hit the open market back in March and have shown no signs of bringing him back for the 2019 season.

Will the Broncos regret not keeping Peko? Let’s take a look.

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Lack of Depth?

The Broncos only have one true nose tackle listed on their official roster. Shelby Harris is that one player with “NT” next to his name, although Denver does have four players listed as “DL” and five players as “DE” on the roster.

The Broncos made a decision earlier this offseason to try and get younger up front. That’s one of the reasons why they informed Peko that they would not be pursuing him when free agency kicked off back in March.

The writing was on the wall for Peko when the Broncos gave Harris a second-round tender as a restricted free agent. This move was to reward him for his play, but also was made to ward off other teams from having interest in Harris. He signed his one-year tender and will make almost $3.1 million this year for the Broncos.

Harris is their starting nose tackle, but there will be a competition for who can be his backup. Guys like Zach Kerr, Billy Winn and Mike Purcell will likely be in that mix. Those are players of varying experience, but none of those guys has the experience that Peko could provide.

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I Love L.A.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Peko emphasized how much he would love to play for one of the teams in Los Angeles, either the Rams or the Chargers. If he goes and plays with the Rams, Peko would line up next to superstar All-Pro Aaron Donald – something Peko is angling for according to the interview.

That’s not a big deal if he’s in the other conference making plays for the Rams. It might sting a little if Peko wound up in the AFC West with the Chargers.

That team has an incredibly strong defense. In fact, they might be even a bit underrated in terms of national outlook or exposure. But make no mistake, the Chargers defense is at least one of the 10 best in the league.

Adding Peko would give the Chargers a run-stuffing veteran to mentor 2019 first-round pick Jerry Tillery. The Chargers were pushed around on the ground last year in the playoffs and adding Peko to play as a backup to Tillery would give them strength upon strength.

The Broncos want to be a run-heavy team this season with Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. That plan might be a little more difficult to implement against the Chargers – especially if they add Peko as a rotational player.

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Price and Influence

There is no doubt that when Peko signs a new deal with a team it won’t be for a huge price tag. When he signed with the Broncos in 2017, Peko got a two-year deal worth $7.5 million with $3.8 million guaranteed. He played in all but two games for the Broncos during that time as the starting defensive tackle, but he wouldn’t be a starter with them this year.

That means his salary would be around half of what he got last year. In 2018, Peko had a cap hit of $4.2 million. This year, Peko will probably get a deal that pays him around $2 million, and he probably won’t get a long-term contract when a team does sign him.

In addition to signing for a good price, Peko is a positive influence in the locker room. He was a favorite of his teammates and his smile is infectious. Peko is laid back off the field, but when he’s playing football, he approaches the game with passion and ferocity. That’s something his teammates responded to during his time in Denver.

Peko did meet with the Lions last week. So far, Detroit is the only team that has really shown serious interest in signing him during the last few months. There’s no bidding war for Peko, but apparently the Broncos still don’t want to bring him back.

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Summary

There might be a depth problem at defensive tackle for the Broncos in 2019. That being said, the Broncos want to see if one of their young defensive linemen can work as a rotational player.

It’s not like they’ll need to be stacked at the position because they should be in sub-packages on defense quite often under Fangio. However, this team does need to stay strong against the run. Last year, the Broncos ranked 21st in the league by allowing an average of 119.6 rushing yards per game. By contrast, the Bears were No. 1 in the league and only allowed 80.0 yards on the ground per game.

Peko was a favorite of his teammates and fans loved his hair, his play and his personality. That’s something left in the past now as the Broncos will see Harris get his chance to shine as the starter.

Clearly, Fangio knows what it takes to stuff the run, and his plan does not include Peko.

Follow @CecilLammey